Saturday, June 8, 2013

The Last Jew and the Rope Walker

Visiting synagogues and sites of Jewish interest in exotic
locations is a great vacation focus for the Jewish traveler. Yet, you don’t
have to travel long distances to find fascinating examples of Jewish history
and culture. Only fifty five miles south
of Dallas lies the town of Corsicana, Texas where recently the last Jew in
Corsicana treated us to a tour of the amazing Moorish style synagogue, the
Jewish cemetery and a juicy bit of local Jewish lore.

Temple Beth El, Corsicana, Texas

In the 1800s many Jewish immigrants ventured west from the
crowded port cities where they had entered the United States. With little
capital and few marketable skills some became itinerant peddlers. When
opportunities presented themselves, these peddlers put down roots, established
mercantile businesses and fledgling Jewish communities arose.

The Houston and Texas Central Railroad arrived in Corsicana
in 1871. A thriving economy based on cotton, cattle and oil lured more and more
Jewish families to the area. By 1898 sixty families organized a Jewish
congregation and began construction of Temple Beth El, which was completed in
September of 1900. The building is a spectacular example of Eastern European
wood and gothic masonry motifs modified for American frontier construction.
Similar structures with a large central rose window, flanking arched windows,
twin octagon towers and onion domes also exist in Charleston, West Virginia and
Butte, Montana. Attesting to the wealth
of the Corsicana Jewish community, the stain glass rose window with a Mogen
David and the Ten Commandments below were created in the august studio of Louis
Comfort Tiffany.

Corsicana’s Jewish community expanded as a result of a major
oil boom in the 1920s. Attracted by the region’s prosperity, the total number
of Jewish families rose to approximately 200, almost equally divided between
the Orthodox and Reform congregations.
Jews were active in every facet of local life. The importance of Jewish
merchants and businessmen was most apparent during the High Holy Days when Jewish
owned establishments closed their doors and economic activity came to a virtual
standstill. When the oil played out and the city’s economy declined the Jewish
community migrated to places offering greater economic and cultural opportunity
such as Dallas and Houston. By 1981 the congregation had dwindled to the point
that it was disbanded.

The building, with its distinctive architecture, octagonal
towers and two onion domes, was in a state of disrepair and scheduled for
demolition. A group of concerned citizens formed "Save the Temple,"
and held dinners, styles shows and musical reviews, and with the help of
private donations and state and local grants, were able to raise more than
$100,000 to restore the building. It was deeded to the City of Corsicana,
rededicated in 1987, and is now used for activities and club meetings. The interior of the building, aron kodesh,
bemah and all remained unchanged. Once a month, a rabbi travels from Dallas to
hold services in the historic synagogue for the Jews of the surrounding
counties.

Corsicana Synagogue Interior

After photographing the synagogue we visited the impressive
and impeccably maintained Jewish cemetery where one of the tombstones is carved
with only the two words: “Rope Walker”.
Our tour guide, the last Jew in Corsicana, told us that very little is
known about the deceased, not even his name. He had been hired to perform a
publicity stunt to attract customers for the grand opening of Meyers & Henning
Dry Goods Emporium.

It was a hot day in 1884. The mayor of Corsicana was there
and a band was playing. The stunt had been advertised widely by M & H as an
“astounding, astonishing, amazing, unbelievable, never seen before or ever
again act of strength, gravity and defiance of common sense.” The man would walk a rope strung across
Beaton Street from the second story of M & H, catty-corner across the 5th
avenue intersection to the roof of Jackson’s Saloon and Gentlemen’s Relaxation
Salon. Making the feat even more difficult, the man, having only one good leg
and one wooden leg, would walk the rope with a cast-iron stove on his back.

The band began to play. The mayor cut the red ribbon and the
peg-legged man started across the rope twenty feet above the ground. When he
reached the middle of the rope, the end attached to Jackson’s Saloon suddenly
slackened causing the tightrope walker to fall. The cast iron stove fell on
him, crushing his chest. He lingered in great pain and by evening, when it was
evident that he would die, he asked for a rabbi. As Corsicana had no rabbi, the
owner of a downtown grocery store, Bernard Simon, came to him and the man
painfully whispered the Shema. The only other thing he said, also in perfect
Hebrew, was to ask that he be “buried with my people.” To this day he lies with his people in the
Corsicana Jewish Cemetery.

"To this day he lies with his people in the Corsicana Jewish Cemetery"

2 comments:

Enjoyed the blog, Louis. Will look forward to your ongoing posts. You're always such an engaging writer. Felt particularly sorry for the poor peg-legged tight-walker carrying the cast iron stove on his back, but I guess that he wanted to do it! Pretty sure his loved ones were not happy about it. Great stories, as always.

Welcome

This blog shares stories related to the synagogues displayed at www.Synagogues360.org as well as experiences while photographing these architectural examples of Jewish heritage. Traveling the globe photographing synagogues for posterity is an enriching experience allowing us to visit many lands and see great examples of Jewish art and architecture. It is made possible by the wonderful staff and lay people who have opened their synagogues and hearts to us.

About the Photographer

Louis Davidson

An architect by education, now semi-retired, I travel extensively with my wife and dog photographing synagogues.